In Commemoration of the 41st Anniversary of the STONEWALL RIOTS40th Annual NYC Heritage of Pride CelebrationPARADE & FESTIVALas captured in the streets of Chelsea & the West Village . New York City, NY . Sunday, 27 June 2010Elvert Xavier Barnes Photography .Videography.Writings.Ads______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FULL CIRCLENYC Pride 2010

For the purpose of this photoessay, let's start with the first gay pride that I ever attended. Which was 30 years ago, in June of 1980, when I took the AMTRAK from WDC to NYC to spend the weekend with my best friend, Frank. Who, at the time, shared a first floor apartment with at least two other guys at 165 Christopher Street at the corner of Washington Street in the West Village.

An Italian from Long Island, Frank Gramarossa and I had been close friends since, as freshmen, that we first met at Easton dorm at the University of Maryland / College Park in September 1973.